Mobile Users Preview Video In Twitter

Encouraging more video
views, Twitter is now letting mobile users preview clips right in their feeds and play them with one click.

“Twitter users may start to see a new video experience on Twitter,” a
company spokesman said on Friday. Now, “video previews appear right in your home timeline, and you can watch the video with a single tap.”

“We’re starting this test
with our Twitter Amplify partners, including the NBA, and all users can see the new experience on our mobile apps and Twitter.com.”

The change -- first reported by The New York
Times’ Bits blog on Thursday -- supports Twitter’s broader video ambitions.

As part of these efforts, Twitter just hired former YouTube executive Baljeet Singh as product
director. Singh is credited with co-developing YouTube’s skippable pre-roll ads.

Merging old and new media, TV and social channels have achieved a remarkable symbiosis. According
to a recent report from Digitalsmiths, nearly 29% of consumers report watching a TV
show or movie because of related buzz on Facebook, Twitter and other social networks.

Social networks are doing their best to align with networks and their deep-pocketed brand partners.

Along with Twitter’s continued efforts to court TV dollars, Facebook recently expanded its video ad program and added several TV-like targeting tools.

In addition, Tumblr just struck a major ad partnership with Viacom. Per the exclusive
deal, Tumblr plans to host content from MTV, Comedy Central and other Viacom properties, while the network will offer ad partners the option of extending their campaigns across Yahoo’s blogging
platform.

Twitter, for its part, is one of the few companies expected to increase its share of the mobile ad market this year, according to eMarketer. Twitter’s share of the
worldwide mobile ad market increased to 2.4% in 2013 -- up from 1.5% in 2012. This year, eMarketer estimates Twitter will see its share rise to 2.6%.